Hank Williams Jr. (Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, Va. (WUSA) --- Country singer Hank Williams, Jr. was dumped Monday Night from his traditional raucous opening for Monday Night Football, after he described a golf match between President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner as the equivalent of "Hitler playing golf with Netanyahu."
Williams has apologized and ESPN has said it is undecided whether to reinstate the opening on future games.
Why should Williams' political beliefs have a professional cost?
Why should the private behavior of Tiger Woods cost him professional endorsements?
Why should the tweets of football player Reshard Mendenhall (who questioned the relationship between Osama bin Laden and 9-11) cost him a sponsorship deal with a clothing company?
"You have to remember when it comes to athletes or when it comes to entertainers we're looking for your image. We're looking for the metaphorical. We're not looking for the literal, whether it's Hank or Tiger or Mehdenhall or whomever else.
"We look for what you represent and that's why we want to align our program or our product or our services with you; not what you think but rather what you represent," said Doug Eldridge of the DLE Agency. He represents athletes and entertainers in endorsement and sponsorship deals.
"It's the qualities you embody. When it comes to Tiger Woods, the dedication to go from good to great and from great to legendary.
"When it comes to Reshard Mendenhall, we're talking about durability. We're talking about the go-to guy. When times get tough, when conditions get bad, we're looking for the metaphorical qualities that you represent, not the ideals that you personally stand for," Eldridge told 9News Now.
Can a company be hurt if it is represented by Tiger Woods at a time he is in the headlines for cheating on his wife?
"You have to look at the companies that were supporting Tiger and, from a metaphorical standpoint ,the correlation they were looking for.
"Remember we're talking about accounting firms. What are we talking about? We're talking about integrity. We're talking about attention to detail. We're talking about accuracy.
We're talking about the fact that when push come to shove you can count on us to do right by you.
"And and from a metaphorical standpoint, you have a real conflict there when your underlying endorsing entity has allegations of infidelity because it's a breach of trust, and that's the last thing you want, especially when the Big Five ( financial firms) are melting down," Eldridge said.
After a stumble by a celebrity, the road back can be difficult.
"It takes time. Look at other figures in modern pop culture. It takes time.
"It's message management. It's strategic communications.
"What do they say? The best defense is a good offense. The best offense is a good defense.
"When it comes to strategic communications, the best plan is not to say it in the first place but, when it does happen, the best plan is to take pro-active steps. Get in front of the story as much as you possibly can. Issue the apology. Issue the mea culpa. Don't side step it. Don't say ' well, it's my right.' No, it's not your right. What you do in the privacy of your home or with your friends or with your collegues is your right but, as long as you are representing a brand, a business, a service, or an idea, your rights as an endorsing entity are restricted accordingly," Eldridge said.
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